"He appears to me to be one of the people over there that would be reasonable. I mean, look at some of the other people. I'm a Paul Ryan fan," Reid said. "I don't agree with him on much of what he does. I think what he's done with Medicare and Medicaid, what he's wanted to do I disagree with, but generally speaking I think that ... we've been able to work with him."

"His agreement with Patty Murray was excellent — bipartisan compromise — and we don't see much of that coming out of the House Republicans. So, it's understandable that ... many of us are hoping that there will be a reasonable speaker," Durbin said.

Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., said in a brief interview Ryan is "a reliable conservative." But that's where she draws the line.

"Then I make all assessments from there," she said. "I think he eventually worked with Sen. Murray and came up with the budget deal. I think we were complimentary of the outcome and whether he'll make a good speaker or not, we'll have to see how that goes."